Services such as Ustream and Livestream have been making headlines for making it possible for anyone to broadcast live video straight to their audience, without any costly setup fees.

Recently, YouTube has also taken an interest in free online broadcasting. However, although it’s very easy to teach your own live lectures from home or to broadcast a class project online, it’s not immediately obvious how to get started.

We’ve written this short guide to help new broadcasters get their HUE cameras up and running with YouTube Live.

1. First of all, you’ll need to set a Google Plus account. If you have a Gmail account already, you’re halfway there. The Google+ signup page will walk you through joining their service.

2. Once you’re signed up, you will see a link to ‘Hangouts‘ on your main Google+ homepage. You might need to click ‘More‘ in the bottom left first.

3. Click ‘Start a Hangout‘ in the top right of the Hangouts section to launch the video control panel. If you haven’t broadcast before on your current computer, you’ll be prompted to install a Google plug-in first. This only takes a moment.

4. Now it’s time to set your broadcast up. Type in a name for your show – something easy to remember is best, since your viewers will need to find it on YouTube Live. Make sure that you check the box marked ‘Enable Hangouts On Air’ below the name. With this box checked, your video will be broadcast worldwide on YouTube instead of just to your Google+ subscribers.

The first time you set up a broadcast, Google+ will ask you to verify your YouTube account and to agree to its terms and conditions. Once you’re ready, click the big ‘Hang out‘ button to begin.

5. Check that your microphone and camera are working correctly (if they aren’t, click the Settings icon in the top right of the Hangout window to make sure that your Hue camera is selected). Once you’re ready to go, click the red button to start filming. You’re now broadcasting live on YouTube!

Once you’re on air, all that you need to do is find your video on the YouTube Live website, or use the Embed button in your Hangout, and share the link with your friends or students. You’ll be listed in the ‘Live Now‘ section at the bottom if your broadcast is currently running, and when it’s finished it will be saved to your YouTube account for future editing and sharing.